Congressman Earl Blumenauer Will Have a Set at the 2020 SXSW Festival

He'll talk about cannabis.

Earl Blumenauer (WW staff)

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) will be featured speaker at the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival, scheduled for March 13-22 in Austin, Tex.

No, Blumenauer does not have a hidden musical talent that he will be showcasing at the festival (that we know of). He is slated to discuss congressional cannabis legalization with Politico reporter Natalie Fertig.

"I've traveled around the country talking about this in various different capacities and speaking at a venue like SXSW indicates that this movement has momentum," Blumenauer said in an email statement to WW. "Legislation to address cannabis banking, research, and restorative justice are all making their way through the process, with the ultimate goal of cannabis legalization in sight."

Blumenauer, repesenting Oregon in Congress since 1996, founded the Congressional Cannabis Caucus in 2017. He has made cannabis legalization central to his platform, and he supports various reforms to tax, regulate, and research cannabis.

Blumenauer will be featured among various other speakers, including Stephen Colbert, Ozzy Osbourne, and Noam Chomsky. Another onetime Portland resident, Portlandia creator Carrie Brownstein, will be a keynote speaker at the festival.

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